Kitchen Memory

Growing up in my mother's kitchen.

After thinking about it for some time, and with encouragement from friends and acquaintances, I finally decided to start a blog. I have lots of stories to tell about things I've learned during my life, about cooking and many other things. My hope is that sharing my stories can also help others in some way.

My close friends will tell you that not all my kitchen memories were pleasant. But even the unpleasant ones helped make me into the cook and the person I am today. Cooking has a transformative power beyond the food itself, and I'm proud that I've been able to touch many people's lives through my cooking. It's not hard — it only takes love. Your head may try to stop you, but if you let your heart guide you, you'll feed your soul and the souls of those around you.

Get back to the basics of using #lard at home. It takes fat to burn fat, so why not use this healthy source of #unsaturated fat in your diet?

Over the weekend, I visited a local farm, #RimmieRdFarm, for the first time. Introduced by my good friend, Chef Stephane, my family and I got to meet the crew, the happy animals, and the historical building of #Rhoneymeade. Andy gave me a nice slab of pig's fat with the skin on and said, "lard!" Immediately, it took me back to my early childhood. Each time my mother went to the market to buy pig's fat, it meant she was making lard, and it meant that a special treat was coming with the residual fruit of her labor. I would wait eagerly on a step stool by her side for that special treat to be ready. Yesterday I made lard at home, with my eight-year-old daughter on the other side of the counter filming and photographing this childhood memory of mine as it came alive. The entire project took ten minutes, and resulted in lard that will last us for the next three months! You may be wondering about that special treat that I referred to earlier. It's the pork bits, known as "Grak moo" in Thailand, that come from the lard making process. We use them as a topping on various noodle dishes, and only a spoonful goes a long way. Whenever the Grak moo would run out, we cried silently!

Grak Moo and Lard. Such a pleasure to work with #RimmieRdFarm's pig fat; it cuts like butter, is rendered with ease, and tasted like a dream.

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